Spirit Paws
by Kitten With A Tie
Summary: Book 1 of Spirit Paws: Cloverpaw knows that she's the weirdest apprentice. She is the most skilled fighter, and most cats accuse her of visiting the Dark Forest. When karma reaches her Clan - and the others -, Cloverpaw realizes that she must save the other Clans, or die trying.


"Cloverkit, wake up!" The kit felt a paw prod her side. Opening her bright green eyes wide, she glanced up as her sister. "Good morning to you too, Rainkit," the she-cat murmured to the pale grey kit.  
Cloverkit opened her jaws in a large yawn, her tongue lolling out the side of her small mouth.

"Robinfoot says I can't go outside until you've waken up," Rainkit complained. "So get up!"  
She prodded her sister in the side again until the white kit stumbled to her paws. "Fine! But you have to share your breakfast with me."  
"Awww!" Cloverkit giggled as Rainkit groaned, then she followed her sister out the nursery. "Wait."

The two kits turned to see a grey tabby queen laying on her side, eyes narrowed. "Where are you two going?" she asked.

"Outside to explore the camp!" Rainkit squeaked, not giving a chance for Cloverkit to reply. "Well, don't get under any of the warriors paws, or you'll be coming right back in here."

The queen blinked as Rainkit shuffled her paws. "Do you promise?"  
"We promise!" The kits meowed at the same time before scurrying out the nursery entrance.

"Wow!" Cloverkit mewed. The camp was buzzing with activity; Firestar, Graystripe, and Brambleclaw were mewing urgently to each other, Dustpelt and Thornclaw were sharing fresh-kill, and Millie and Brackenfur were trotting in to camp with their jaws full of newly caught prey.

Cloverkit's eyes filled with awe as the scent of Newleaf filled her nose. Her bright blue eyes took in the scene around her: deliciously green grass spread about the clearing, bright blue and pink flowers decorated the grass. Fresh trees were sprouting from the ground, one or two leaves sticking to their flimsy branches.

"Ah, Newleaf." Cloverkit sighed, breathing in the relaxing scent.

"Wanna play?" Rainkit mewed, pouncing on her sister's tail as it flicked back and forth.

"No, I want to watch Badgerpaw and Whistlepaw train," Cloverkit replied and stalked off, feeling the sad gaze of her sister on her back.

Badgerpaw had just been newly apprenticed by his best friend, Whistlepaw. They were a hyper bunch; always ready to train and get under other cat's paws. The two cats were practicing a few battle moves as Cloverkit walked up, curiousity brewing in her green eyes.

"What are you doing?" Cloverkit meowed as she sat on the soft grass. "Practicing this move Thornclaw taught me," Badgerpaw panted. He had just shoved Whistlepaw off of him, and the she-cat was starting to stalk back toward him. "Watch!"

The brown tabby tom lurched forward as he hooked Whistlepaw's paws right out from under her and she fell, letting out a small yelp of surprise.

"Oooh!" Cloverkit mewed as Badgerpaw puffed out his chest. "Nice move."

"Yeah. Thornclaw is always making me do all the hard moves." Badgerpaw pawed at the ground.

"That's because you always beg him!" Whistlepaw's whiskers twitched with amusement as the tom glared at her. "No! Thornclaw suggests them for me!"

"That's because you told him that you wanted to learn all the hard warrior moves, and then you told me that after you learned all the warrior moves you'd tell Firestar that you were ready to be a warrior." The silver she-cat replied.

As they bickered, Cloverkit slipped away and padded across the clearing, her tail swishing through the air as the breeze ruffled her white fur.

"Cloverkit!" Turning around, she saw Rainkit running up to her.

Pelt ruffled, the pale grey kit panted as she fought to suck in air.

"I've been chasing you for moons!" she cried when she caught her breath.

"Well, you should run faster." Cloverkit replied calmly. "We were supposed to explore together! But you ran off before we could play."

"Well, excuse me for seeing something more interesting."

"Like what, a leaf floating about in the breeze?"

"Hey! I get side-tracted easily."  
"Well, will you come play with me now?" Rainkit begged, and Cloverkit winced at the desperation in her eyes. "Fine," she sighed.

"Come with me." Cloverkit led her sister to a shaded area in the edge of camp.

On a rock was a thin piece of wood. One end tilted up, and the other end was against the ground. "What's this?" Rainkit mewed, sniffing the odd object.

"I don't know, but it's loads of fun! Watch this." Cloverkit nudged a large pebble on the lower part of the thin piece of wood before pushing her paws hard on the higher part.

The rock flew through the air and landed near the barrier.

Thornclaw, his amber eyes glinting in the sun, wasn't looking where he was going, and tripped over the rock. Landing muzzle first in the dirt, the rabbit in his jaws flew through the air and landed in a pile of moss. "Mouse-dung!" the tom shouted, his tail lashing.

"Who threw that?" A powerful meow fulled the clearing, and Cloverkit noticed the strict voice of Firestar. Cloverkit hesitated before calling, "I did!"

"Why?" The flame colored tom trotted over, his green eyes narrowed with concern, Brambleclaw and Graystripe having the same expression in their eyes.

"Because we were playing, and Cloverkit found this nice toy and-"

"There is no reason for you to be playing with unknown toys," Brambleclaw interrupted, his tail lashing. "You could've hurt somebody, or yourselves."

"We're sorry, Brambleclaw," they chimed as Cloverkit climbed off the wood.

"And where did you get that piece of wood?" Graystripe meowed, his eyes full of curiousity.

"I don't know," Cloverkit meowed, feeling her hind legs tremble. "We found it."

Graystripe whispered something in to Brambleclaw's ear, who whispered whatever the gray tabby said in to Firestar's ear.

"Very well. Continue with your duties." They turned around and padded away. "

That was so scary!" Rainkit cried.

"What if he delays our apprentice ceremony?" Cloverkit fretted.

Rainkit's tail drooped. "Firestar wouldn't," she continued when the pale kit didn't say anything. "He's too-"  
"Cloverkit! Rainkit!"

"Uh-oh." They trudged toward the nursery to see their mother there, a angry look in her eyes. "So, uh, how's the prey been?" Cloverkit mewed awkwardly.

"Don't you dare get this off topic!" Robinfoot growled. "You two are in big trouble. One more moon and you'll be out of the nursery, and you're already getting all the warriors tails tangled!" The two kits hung their heads and their tails drooped.

"Oh, I can't stay mad at you." she nuzzled the young cats before beckoning them inside of the nursery. "Come now. I'm is going to tell you a story about when badgers invaded camp."  
"Oh, yay!" Cloverkit padded after her sister, but a voice filled her ears. _Be careful, young one. I will always be with you, but beware. _"Huh?" she swatted at her ear and listened again for the strange voice, but it didn't come back so she shrugged and walked in to the nursery just as Robinfoot started the story.

_Two cats with stars in their pelts watched from the clifftop above. "Are you sure about this, Cloudchaser?" The smaller cat asked. "I'm very sure, Snowwing," Cloudchaser mewed. "She is the one."_


End file.
